Cape Town taxi bosses say a peace deal negotiated this week will end the violence that has plagued the industry.
|||Cape Town - Taxi bosses say a peace deal negotiated this week will end the violence that has plagued the industry.
On Wednesday, Transport MEC Robin Carlisle vowed to crack down on lawlessness at the Bellville taxi rank, but taxi bosses accused him of “living in the past”.
After a shooting, an assault on a senior official of the Provincial Regulating Entity and the forced removal of about 30 taxi drivers from the rank - all on Monday - Carlisle met with police and set up contingency plans to curb the ongoing violence. On Wednesday, extra police officers were deployed to monitor the rank.
But the Bellville Taxi Association (Bellta), which is at the heart of the fighting, said a peace deal brokered on Tuesday had brought a permanent end to the violence.
Bellta infighting saw four drivers murdered between June and September last year. At the time, the provincial government said it was aware of a hitlist containing the names of 17 other taxi operators.
Bellta spokesman Mvuyisi Mente explained that the infighting started when some members of the association decided to start an independent entity in 2011 - the Bellville Taxi Alliance (BTA).
“They, however, wanted to carry on operating on Bellta routes, did not rescind their membership and kept the permits that they held under the Bellta banner. It could never work. You cannot built a house within a house,” he said.
Disagreements between BTA members and Bellta faithful boiled over into violence, intimidation and assassinations.
On Wednesday, a meeting between members at Bellta’s head office was dominated by talk of bringing an end to the violence, Mente said.
Members of Bellta’s executive said BTA members had “repented” and that the peace deal had been solidified.
However, Mente would not assist the Cape Argus in speaking with other members in order to corroborate the resolution of the conflict.
The Cape Argus was chased away and threatened by Bellta members while attempting to locate a BTA member at the taxi rank.
Mente took a swipe at Carlisle, contesting the MEC’s claims that his department had engaged in a “long period of intense engagement” with the association.
“We could foresee the violence of recent days and warned the department, but they refused to partner with us in finding a solution,” Mente said.
Carlisle maintained that months of “intense discussions” with Bellta had not brought an end to the conflict.
He hit back at Bellta, saying a power struggle, resulting from Bellta’s failure to follow constitutional means in terms of electing new leaders, was at the heart of the violence.
Mente said Bellta would have an annual general meeting this month, during which new leadership would be elected.
Carlisle welcomed this news, but added that “seeing is believing”.
daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za
Cape Argus